Her Struggle
by punkyrockz
Summary: Jinx is left alone after leaving the HIVE Five and she needs somewhere to stay.


After her obvious betrayal to the Hive Five Jinx wasn't sure where to go. Kid Flash had already left only giving her a cell phone number and his communicator number programmed into hers. Jinx had received a full pardon and become an honorary Titan, but that didn't mean squat.

The Hive was her home. All of her food, clothes, shelter, was from The Hive. Now that she had left, all she had was the clothes on her back, her sketchbook, and a Titan communicator.

Jinx kicked a stone as she walked down the streets of Jump City. Everyone was running away.

"That's right." she muttered under her breath, "Run away. I'm going to steal all your money."

The civilians of the city had still had an intense fear of her. Jinx's stomach grumbled. She wrapped her arms around her stomach in hunger.

"Let's call Kid." she grabbed her communicator. Kid Flash was the only Titan she communicated regularly with. They also were kind of dating, but it's a long distance relationship.

He didn't pick up. "Hey Wally, it's me. Listen, I'm in some trouble, I've left the Hive and everything but, they were my life, I don't have any money, food, or a place to stay and I just don't know what I'm going to d-" BEEP her message cut off.

She sighed but set the communicator back into her pocket. Jinx continued walking. "I need a shower and a place to stay," Jinx knew who she could go to. She shook the thought away, "No, no way. I'm not going there."

Her stomach growled again. Jinx sighed before changing her direction and heading towards the bay giving up to her fate.

Cyborg answered the door. Jinx was still hugging herself when he answered. "I need to talk to Robin." Jinx whispered. Her lack of water had started to damage her throat.

Cyborg narrowed his eyebrows but ushered her inside. The Titans were on edge with her too. She knew that. They had been fighting against her for years before she turned. Jinx would have been weary of her too.

Robin was playing video games. "Yo Rob. Someone wants to talk to you." He turned and Jinx imagined his eyes under the mask widening.

"Can I talk to you?" she muttered.

"Uh, sure." he paused the game and threw himself over the couch. He headed for the door and figuring that he wanted her to follow she did.

Once they left the living room he led her down a hall before stopping.

He turned to look at her, "So, what's up?"

Jinx felt her knees start to shake with exhaustion. She leaned against the wall and sat on the floor. "I'm in bad shape Robin." Jinx could feel tears coming on but she refused to cry, not in front of Mister Poker Face.

"Kid left and now that I've left the Hive. I have nothing. I haven't eaten in a few days and I'm not going to steal any. I have no money, no home, and all of the civilians think that I'm going to murder them or something. I know what I did was wrong, but I don't think I'm a bad person. And I know that you don't trust me, really, only Kid does, and this is the last place I wanted to go." Jinx sighed.

Robin had crouched down next to her while she spoke and to her own betrayal a tear fell down her face. "But, I need help Robin. The Hive gave me everything, and now I have nothing." Jinx hurriedly wiped away the tear, "I don't expect to join the team, or go on missions, or for you to start to trust me completely. But I need a home. Before I starve or something."

Robin seemed to think it over carefully before nodding. "You can stay here. Why don't we get some food in you." Robin stood and expected her to stand as well.

She tried to, really, she did, but there was no way she was getting to the kitchen again. They seemed to exchange a glance. "I'll get Cy to hook you up with an IV." Robin answered and he called Cyborg over the communicators. "Hey, Cy, can you get a portable IV and get over to me?"

"Sure." Cyborg hung up and not even five minutes later he arrived with a pushable stand and a bag with the needle.

He bent over and hooked Jinx up to the IV. Cyborg then picked her and the IV up before carrying her to the kitchen and setting her down at the bar.

"Just so you know, I found that very degrading." Jinx muttered.

"Well, if you let yourself get that weak then that's your fault." Robin sat down next to her.

Jinx huffed before glancing over where now Beast Boy was playing video games. "If you double jump there you get a gold coin." she added.

"What du-"

"Duck. It's a turtle." she added. Beast Boy quickly ducked and she was right. He would have died it he hadn't ducked.

"How do you know this stuff?" Beast Boy asked.

Cyborg set a huge plate of food and a glass of milk in front of her. She scoffed. "Please, I lived with five boys previously. I lived and breathed video games." Jinx took a big bite of her food. She finished her meal in record time as well as downing her milk in one go. Jinx uneasily stood before sitting on the couch her IV behind her. "Toss me a controller."

Beast Boy looked her over. "Toss me a controller." He handed her the controller. She quickly joined the game and played along with him. Jinx was easily the better gamer as once she got bored Jinx dropped out and laid down on the couch.

Then she fell into a semi peaceful sleep. She didn't even stir when her communicator began to go off. Robin glanced over and seeing that she was still sleeping bent over and answered the call.

"Hey Hone-" Kid Flash started to greet. He wasn't in uniform either and this made Robin realize just how close the two actually were. Kid stopped mid-sentence. "O, hi Robin, why do you have Jinx's communicator?"

"She came to the Tower weak and tired a few hours ago. Is there a reason you are calling?" Robin asked.

"She called me and I was just going to answer her voice message. It's good that she went to you guys though. Jinx isn't one to admit defeat. I felt bad for leaving her in Jump but I had to get home and she didn't want to go with me." Kid ran a hand through his hair.

"Listen Robin, I know that Jinx doesn't exactly have a clean record, but she's smart, she knows what she's doing and," Kid paused, "She's just looking for a home Rob."

Little did Robin know two pink eyes were wide awake and listening with tears running down her cheeks. "Tell her when she wakes up that I can run over if she needs me. It'll only take a second. And tell her," Kid paused, "Tell her LYTTM. Kid out!"

Jinx knew then that she was about to get caught. Instead she snapped her eyes shut and rolled over to face the couch. She felt Robin set her communicator on the edge of the couch and once she heard the doors shut she sobbed. She sobbed into the leather in order to muffle her sobs. She sobbed for her problems. She sobbed for being lost. She sobbed for herself. And she sobbed because of Kid. LYTTM: love you to the moon.

She missed Kid. Jinx fumbled for the communicator and grabbed it before flipping it open and face calling Kid. His face appeared on the screen quickly.

"Wally, I need you." Jinx tried desperately to wipe away the tears.

Jinx hadn't even hung up before she felt him holding her. Jinx wanted to hold him as well but the needle in her arm was preventing her from doing so. "I don't know what I'm going to do anymore Wally. I just don't know."

Kid rubbed her back soothing. "I'm sorry darling. I'm sorry."

Jinx let him hold her as she started to calm down. It was after a long silence that Kid spoke. "Jinx, what's the matter?"

"I don't fit in Wally. I thought I never had a choice as a criminal, but at least there, there, I was accepted. And loved, and trusted, and known. I know they are annoying, but I practically raised Gizmo. He is like my little brother."

"Then come with me," Kid offered, "I've said this before. You always will have a place with me. My parents and Uncle Barry wouldn't have a problem with it. You can help us." Kid Flash offered.

Jinx took the needle out of her arm and stood angrily out of his arms stomping over and looking out the window arms crossed. "I love you Wally but I can't go with you. I can't leave. Jump City is my HOME. I can't just leave it so fast. Jump is the only place I've known." Jinx shook her head.

Kid Flash stood placing a hand on her shoulder. "Jinx, what's so important about Jump City?"

She sighed shrugging his arm off her shoulder placing her arms around herself. "I just can't leave. At least not for very long. When I was born, my mother was a witch. I was dying, from the minute I was born. In order to save me she had to give her power to me, but it was cursed. I could only hex, bring bad luck, and my eyes and hair turned pink. But there was more. My mom couldn't just give her power to me. I needed to be bonded. My very being is tied to Jump City. I can't live outside Jump City or I die. I will forever be here. And to top it all off my mom died in the process. I was left here. Alone. A freak that shouldn't be alive. Trust me Wally. If I could I'd leave with you in a second. But I can't spend more than a week away from Jump before I get sick. Two weeks I'm on life support and a month I'm dead." Jinx dug her nails into her arms.

There was a long silence. "Then we will find a way." Kid Flash put his arms around hers. "I'm not giving up on you."

Jinx smiled, "You never did. You always believed in me."

Kid grinned, "That I did. Now, my lady, how do you feel about breakfast in Paris?"

"It's late at night." Jinx said as he scooped her into his arms.

"Not in Paris it isn't."

Jinx let out a laugh as they sped away.

—

"Check the security feeds." Robin demanded. The team had woken and found their guest gone and her IV dripping onto the floor.

They fast forwarded a few hours until about 2 in the morning as they heard the audio.

At the moment it was just sobbing. Jinx was crying, hard. They saw her pull out her communicator. "Wally I need you."

"Fast forward." Robin demanded.

"Stop." he commanded after watching the feed.

"Rewind and play from three minutes ago."

They had started with Jinx in mid-sentence, "needed to be bonded. My very being is tied to jump City. I can't live outside Jump City or I die. I will forever be here. And to top it all off my mom died in the process. I was left here. Alone. A freak that shouldn't be alive. Trust me Wally. If I could I'd leave with you in a second. But I can't spend more than a week away from Jump before I get sick. Two weeks I'm on life support and a month I'm dead." Jinx dug her nails into her arms.

There was a long silence. "Then we will find a way." Kid Flash put his arms around hers. "I'm not giving up on you."

Jinx smiled, "You never did. You always believed in me."

Kid grinned, "That I did. Now, my lady, how do you feel about breakfast in Paris?"

"It's late at night." Jinx said as he scooped her into his arms.

"Not in Paris it isn't."

Jinx's laugh as heard for a few seconds after the room was gone.

The team was in silence for a long minute. "She's bonded here?"

"It means she can not leave." Raven who wasn't actually reading the book open, stood. "Her mother bonded her to Jump City. It's very life force is what is keeping her alive. Jinx went to us because she had no where else to go. If she tries to live outside of Jump City she will die. Her soul belongs to Jump City. It is dark magic, powerful, but it has kept her alive."

The entire room was silent. "Track Kid Flash's com." Robin leaned over the computer and quickly found his signal. "They're on the roof." Robin leaned away.

"Leave them alone. I'm sure they are talking about somethings." Cyborg told Robin as he looked ready to leave.

In fact Kid Flash and Jinx weren't talking. They were laying on the roof. They had finished talking and were in fact both asleep. Jinx was resting her head on his chest and his arms around her waist.

It was only when his cell phone started to ring that Wally woke.

He fumbled in his pocket. "Hello?"

After two words Wally bolted up startling Jinx awake. "Shoot. Um, of course Uncle Barry. Um, it might be ten minutes. Ok, where? Sure. Bye." Wally hung up.

"Duty calls. I've got to go help my Uncle. It's a good thing that I wore my uniform under my clothes. It was a blur as Wally West became Kid Flash. "Let's grab something from the kitchen. Then I've got to go."

Kid ran them both down to the kitchen. He grabbed a protein bar and an apple. "Call me later." Kid Flash whispered kissing Jinx on the cheek and he sped away.

Jinx touched her cheek a small smile on her face. "I didn't know that you and Kid Flash were so close."

Raven spoke up. Jinx turned and saw the entire team on the couch. Jinx blushed and walked over to the fridge and peered inside. "We, we always tell each other the truth. It made us closer real fast. Besides, he trusts me, and I trust him." Jinx took out the jelly and popped bread in the toaster.

Jinx waited by the counter for her meal to finish. "How was Paris?"

"You looked at the security cameras." Jinx took the toast from the toaster.

"Well, we wanted to make sure you were ok when you were gone." Cyborg explained.

"Paris was fine. Neither of us could speak french though." Jinx turned away to hide her smile.

"KF says he wants to go to Hong Kong next week for some decent Chinese." Jinx answered.

"Well, next time just make sure we know about it. You don't need to worry us Jinx." Robin spoke.

Jinx smiled. Maybe she had a home in Jump after all.


End file.
